Treasures needed to be refined and acclimated to their users. Since Shi Yu had previously used the Purple Gourd merely as a storage bag, its proficiency was somewhat low.
Moments earlier, Unicorn Rhinoceros had broken through the gourd's restriction. Thick vapor-like breath poured from its nostrils as it prepared to trample this despicable fellow to death.
"This guy's strength is endless!"
Shi Yu helplessly shook his head, then once again engaged Unicorn Rhinoceros in battle.
Although his true form was Tai Xu Shui Yun He, with excellent bone structure and extraordinary talent, his physical strength was nowhere near comparable to Unicorn Rhinoceros's!
"Ao Ping, to be a dragon, you have to be smooth and tactful. That's the only way to go far."
Ao Ping spoke earnestly. Back then, Ancestor Dragon had been too rigid, which was why he had...
"All right, it's time for me to act!"
"Act?"
Ao Guang looked at Ao Ping in confusion. Oh no, his uncle couldn't be planning to stab them in the back, could he? To kill them and steal their possessions?
Damn it, the Dragon Clan already bore boundless Karma. Was his uncle going to commit more evil? Did he really think he was an unkillable old corpse that feared nothing?
Besides, that fellow possessed so many high-grade spiritual treasures. He was obviously someone blessed with immense fortune. If his uncle robbed him, the consequences were unimaginable~
"Yes, act!"
"From the moment he and Unicorn Rhinoceros began fighting, I've been looking for an opportunity to act."
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate, Uncle? Attacking from behind is immoral..."
Ao Guang muttered as he already began planning how to sever ties with his uncle on moral grounds.
The Heavenly Dao was impartial. It shouldn't drag innocent people into things, right? Divine punishment wouldn't strike him too, would it?
"Ah~"
"Me, attacking from behind?"
"I'm lending him a helping hand, all right!"
"Remember this: adding flowers to brocade is no match for sending charcoal in the snow!"
Ao Ping tidied himself up, then walked out of Crystal Palace. He leaped into the air, reverted to his true Azure Dragon form, and went to lend support.
Ao Guang watched Ao Ping's departing figure, still feeling somewhat worried.
But he knew his uncle had a sense of propriety, so he followed to see what was going on.
One large and one small Azure Dragon burst out of the water and flew into the air. After roaring, they headed toward the battlefield.
Below, Shi Yu and Unicorn Rhinoceros were locked in an evenly matched battle.
Ao Ping seized the right moment and spat out a water column. It transformed into a gigantic curtain of water that blocked Shi Yu's path, stopping one of Unicorn Rhinoceros's attacks.
Shi Yu was startled at first. After seeing what the Azure Dragon had done, gratitude appeared in his eyes. Excellent! He knew there was still true feeling in the Primordial World.
Though good people as exceptional as Ancestor Hong Yun were rare, there were still plenty of good people around.
Ao Ping called out, "Little friend, don't panic. I'm here to help."
With that, one dragon and one crane began fighting Unicorn Rhinoceros together. Unicorn Rhinoceros had never expected the Dragon King of Great Marsh to come out and help its opponent.
Unicorn Rhinoceros roared repeatedly, but no matter how powerful it was as a primordial variant, it could not withstand attacks from two cultivators of the same cultivation level.
That said, Unicorn Rhinoceros really was incredibly tough...
Half an hour later, looking at Unicorn Rhinoceros lying heavily on the ground, Shi Yu let out a long breath.
"Thank you, senior. Otherwise, I would have had to put in a great deal more effort to tame him!"
Looking at the middle-aged man and young man with dragon horns before him, Shi Yu realized this was his first time seeing members of the Primordial World's Dragon Clan. As expected, the Dragon Clan had excellent genes. They were both handsome fellows~
"Ah~"
"You and I hit it off at first sight. Calling me senior would make us too distant. Why don't we interact as equals?" Ao Ping waved his hand.
Ao Guang's head began to ache. This fellow was promoting himself through seniority again.
Ao Guang sized up the young man who looked about his age and thought to himself:
"He doesn't look bad either. He's almost as handsome as me. But why should I become a junior for no reason?"
"This Crown Prince advises you not to agree, or else..."
Shi Yu saw Ao Guang winking at him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he asked:
"Brother Ao Ping, is something wrong with this fellow beside you? Why is he winking at me?"
"Ao Guang, show some respect. Hurry up and call him senior!"
"Se...nior..."
As the Crown Prince of the East Sea, having to call someone around his age "senior" was unbearably humiliating. How could he continue to show his face in the East Sea after this?
"By the way, what is your name?"
"We should visit one another more often in the future. After all, meeting is fate!"
Ao Ping was indeed an old dragon. Even his conversation proceeded step by step, naturally and without seeming deliberate.
Shi Yu bowed toward Ao Ping. They were both old foxes, so why bother playing tricks?
"My name is Shi Yu, and I study under Taiqing of Kunlun Mountain!"
"I went to Zixiao Palace to listen to the Dao, but I lacked a mount, so I left to find one for my master."
"Later, I learned from Houtu and Gonggong that Unicorn Rhinoceros was here, so I wanted it to serve as a mount for my master."
Shi Yu had never interacted with the Dragon Clan before, so he did not know their intentions and revealed his entire background.
"Good, good, good!"
"I'm determined to be your friend!"
Ao Ping had thought this little fellow's master must be formidable, but he had not expected him to be this formidable. He was a disciple of Taiqing—in other words, the Dao Ancestor's grand-disciple!
"From now on, you're a friend of our Dragon Clan. If you need anything, ask him!"
Ao Ping smiled and pointed at Ao Guang beside him. His term as the Dragon King of Great Marsh was about to end.
Before long, he would return to the Eastern Azure Dragon Realm for secluded cultivation. It would be better to let his nephew form a good relationship with Shi Yu, thereby paving a path for the Dragon Clan in the Primordial World.
After speaking, Ao Ping transformed into an Azure Dragon and flew back into Great Marsh, leaving only Ao Guang and Shi Yu behind.
"Come on, let me hear you call me senior!"
Ao Guang looked helpless but did not dare lose his temper. He could only mutter softly:
"Senior!"
"You're only relying on seniority to pressure me..."
Hearing that, Shi Yu burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I'm just joking. My cultivation is higher than yours, so you can simply call me big brother!"
"Take this as a meeting gift!"
Shi Yu waved his hand, and a golden pill appeared in his palm. Its rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, bringing spring to everything around it. It truly lived up to the fact that it came from Taiqing.
Ao Guang's eyes lit up. Even he had seen a pill of this quality for the first time.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Shi Yu patted his chest and promised him. His master could produce plenty of pills of this quality in a single batch.
Just then, Unicorn Rhinoceros slowly rose to its feet. The ferocity in its eyes had vanished, and it sniffed the air~
Drawn by the rich medicinal fragrance, it moved its heavy steps toward Shi Yu and Ao Guang.
"Buzz~~"
Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda suddenly unfolded its domain, enclosing the two of them.
"Oh? Big Brother Pagoda, you finally reacted!"
"Brat, I was worried this cow would trample you flat. Otherwise, the master would have chewed me out to death!" Exquisite Pagoda's voice echoed within the domain.
No matter how violently Unicorn Rhinoceros charged, it could not shake the domain in the slightest.
Seeing this, Ao Guang said, "A spiritual treasure has developed intelligence? Big brother, what grade of spiritual treasure is this? It actually developed intelligence!"
This was the first time he had ever seen a spiritual treasure develop intelligence.
"Not very high, not very high. I am the Postnatal Supreme Treasure, Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda!"
For a moment, Ao Guang even felt that being the Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan was utterly meaningless...
The dignified Crown Prince of the East Sea, the future Dragon King of the East Sea, was actually so poor...
"Damn, it's licking me! How disgusting!"
Suddenly, Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda let out a shriek. Immediately afterward, the domain vanished~
As Shi Yu and Ao Guang watched in shock, the mountain-like Unicorn Rhinoceros arrived before them~
"Ah-woo~"
It stuck out its enormous tongue and swallowed the immortal pill Shi Yu had given Ao Guang in one gulp...
Unicorn Rhinoceros wore an expression of bliss. It gently lay down beside Shi Yu, opened its huge mouth, and seemed to want more pills~
"This is the last one. Here you go!"
Shi Yu took out the last pill he was carrying and tossed it into its mouth.
Shi Yu walked over and gently stroked Unicorn Rhinoceros's head. "Come with me. You'll have plenty of these in the future~"
"Then promise me I'll get more of this tasty stuff!"
"Otherwise, I'm not going with you!"
Hearing this, the corners of Shi Yu's mouth twitched. Damn it, if he had known it would be this easy to fool—no, this easy to reason with, why had they fought to the death? He was a cultivator who loved peace!
"Fine. As long as you're willing to return with me and become my master's mount, you'll have as much as you want."
"For him, refining pills of this quality is as easy as lifting a finger!"
"Fine, I'm in!"
Two pills had subdued a mount that was also a primordial variant. This was far too worthwhile. He had finally escaped the fate of being a crane taxi!
As for the pills, he could feed it the dregs from his master's alchemy furnace in the future. That would count as recycling waste.
Shi Yu felt someone poke him. He turned around and saw Ao Guang looking at him with tears in his eyes.
"Big brother, the first pill he ate was mine!"
Even the chief alchemist of the East Sea Dragon Palace could not refine pills of this quality!
Before you continue